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1.5: Double the Agency
The fifth session of The Empress' New Fleet. Played in June 2016. The Party * Icaea Hoia, Human Factotum * Agernásson IV, High Elf Ranger * Trettos, Human Warlock * Gorn Le'Lyana, Human Ardent Journal The Marius, or what's left of it, arrives in Princebank in the morning, just as the city is starting to wake up. Though the colony is most important as a center of trade, there are also large plantations and goldmines on the island. The city's notable landmarks include a large fortress, a temple of the Second Judge and the governor's manor. The Heartlock is clearly pointing into the city. As Gorn is wearing the armor of his father, a veteran of the Ufurcan military, its distinctive red-and-silver colors might turn some heads, so he decides to keep himself wrapped in his cloak. Flann: ”By the way, I don't think I ever actually asked what you're here for.” Gorn: ”Uh... official business.” Flann: ”Is... is that so... Well, either way, I've had fun, but I think I need to go my own way now. Perhaps we'll meet again.” Flann kisses Gorn on the cheek and waves goodbye while walking away. Lorry, who spent the trip's most exciting moments hiding under the deck, is the next to get off the ship. Lorry: ”That wasn't the best start to my adventure, but I survived thanks to you. I'm eternally grateful. Now, I might not be able to do too much, but here, take this letter. If you ever find yourself back in Salmo, give it to my father, Lord Mantarch. We don't always get along, but I'm sure he'll reward you somehow.” He, too, goes on his way. First things first, leaving the crew to deal with the ship, the party decides to get rid of some of their booty. They haven't bothered hauling around random swords and armor, but they do have a couple magical shortswords they're interested in selling. Though the weapons merchant they find derides the quality of goblin crafts, Trettos manages to get a pretty good price for them. Icaea goes window shopping and ends up spending his share on an enchanted Hat of Disguise. It's a rather flamboyant feathered cap, but at least it can disguise itself as well. They remember what they actually came here to do. As they follow the Heartlock through the winding streets, they end up in front of the governor's mansion. Icaea recalls hearing that the governor, Avery Cutladd, is the Emperor of Ceraris' brother-in-law and quite infamous for his corruption, regularly making deals with criminals and allowing them to work in the city. The concept of him working with Ufurcan rebels sounds very much possible, especially as they walk around the manor to confirm that the Heartlock is indeed pointing towards it. Trettos peeks over the ten-foot stone wall to confirm that the manor and its garden are rather heavily guarded. They soon abandon the idea of fighting their way in, especially as they have no idea what exactly is going on, but are still considering the possiblity of sneaking in later. But first, Icaea is interested in putting his new toy to use. Disguising himself as a local guard, decked in gold-and-purple, he walks right up to the two men guarding the front gate. Icaea: ”Quite the weather we're having, eh?” Guard: ”Yeah, there was that sudden storm a few days ago, too. Went as quickly as it came.” There's an awkward silence. Guard: ”What exactly are you here for? You seem new.” Icaea: ”Oh, I'm just on patrol.” Guard: ”Well, better carry on then.” Another silence. Icaea: ”Actually, I'm on my lunch break.” Guard: ”Uh-huh.” Icaea makes a break for it, running behind the corner. The guards sigh. Guard: ”Probably just another recruit slacking off.” That didn't go as planned. However, the party reasons that the governor, especially one like Cutladd, probably isn't exactly a hermit and has plenty of meetings throughout the day. Thus, they decide to try a more direct approach. Icaea still disguises himself as a generic mercenary type, figuring that the person who mind-controlled him might recognize his face. Guard: ”State your business.” Trettos: ”We are traveling mercenaries. We would like to discuss our potential employment with Lord Cutladd.” Not seeing anything particularly suspicious, compared to their boss's usual visitors, the guards open the gate for them. They walk up to the manor and step inside. Icaea makes a mental note of the uniformed orcs standing beside the door and gives them a brief greeting in heavily accented Orcish, which he learned on his trip onboard an orcish ship. They return it with a slight smile, surprised to hear their language like that but remaining professional. In the entrance hall, they meet two servants, one of which goes to fetch Cutladd while the other leads them up the stairs to a room where they are seated at the end of a long table. As they sit, the Heartlock keeps rotating rather restlessly. Cutladd joins them a few minutes later, a fat, balding and clearly hungover man shuffling onto his seat at the other end. He is flanked by four more orcs, with a fifth watching the door behind the party. Cutladd, yawning: ”So, what is your business?” Trettos: ”We are traveling mercenaries on our way to Salmo. Hearing you might have use for us, we decided to drop by and see if you had any work to offer.” Cutladd: ”Well, I might indeed have something – or rather, a contact of mine might.” The party exchanges meaningful glances. Cutladd: ”Where exactly do you hail from?” Agernásson: ”We come from Redwater. We hear there are great opportunities on the mainland.” Cutladd: ”Indeed, indeed... Well, I will speak with my contact. As I said, he may be interested in your services.” Trettos: ”Are you sure it wouldn't be possible for us to meet him personally?” Cutladd: ”Oh, you must understand, he is a rather secretive sort of person...” Trettos: ”We'd like to get on our way quickly, and cutting out the middleman would surely help with that.” Cutladd: ”Well, I'll see what I can do. I tell you what, wait at the Golden Blanket tonight – it's a little inn south of the temple. If he agrees, he'll arrange a meeting there.” With their business finished, certainly feeling glad they didn't simply storm the place, the party leaves in a good mood, though feeling somewhat suspicious of this late-night rendezvous. It was almost too easy, so the party is almost certain they're going to get ambushed or something. They decide to check out the place in advance. Despite its name, it's actually a pretty simple if not quite run-down little inn with just a couple ”regulars” getting drunk in the early afternoon and a dwarven innkeeper cleaning the counter. After eating a nice lunch – a pleasant change after two weeks at sea – the party ends up getting goaded into trying dwarven mushroom liquor, which ”these damn humans can't appreciate”. Trettos downs a whole glass in one gulp. He barely has time to taste it before falling to the floor. Innkeeper: ”Aye, probably not a good idea to drink it so quick.” Looking him right in the eye, Gorn does the exact same thing, but manages to stay defiantly conscious with his entire body shaking. The dwarf gives him a tired but respectful look. The party decides to stick around and plan what they're going to do. Their cover story seemed to go through quite well, but it was clear that the other Heartlock – and presumably the culprit – was somewhere in that manor, so this meeting seems almost too convenient. They find a nice shadowy table at the back of the room and cover their faces with their cloaks, watching the door. Icaea tries to start a betting pool, saying the mysterious contact is going to end up being Flann or something. No one takes him up on his offer. Remarkably few people visit the bar, but as evening comes (and Trettos eventually wakes up, feeling remarkably not horrible – perhaps a side effect of dwarven liquor) a young blonde woman steps inside. Someone recognizes her as one of the servants who greeted them at the manor. It doesn't take long for the woman to spot the four shadowy characters sitting in the back. Servant: ”Lord Cutladd's friend will meet you now.” The party is slightly reluctant to leave the safe-seeming inn, but decides not to argue when the servant asks that they follow her outside. However, as they make their way through the darkened streets, Agernásson's elven eyes spot someone shadowing them and disappearing just as he turns to look. He discreetly informs the others, but can't catch another glimpse of the figure. The servant takes them to the rear gate of the manor, takes a cautious look around and leads them into the garden. As they open a cellar hatch and descend a dark staircase, the party starts feeling increasingly paranoid. When they finally come to a pitch-black room, the servant abruptly disappears in a swirl of light. Though the party is quick to panic and prepare for battle, it takes only a few seconds for an illusionary wall to fade away and reveal a light-shedding torch as well as an armored man standing on a railed platform in the otherwise empty room. The 50-something-looking man has no hair other than a short white beard, but the party is immediately suspicious of the fact that he's wearing a suit of red-and-silver armor almost identical to that of the vice-commander. The Heartlock is clearly pointing straight at him. He has a formal but content smile on his wrinkled face. Man: ”Nice of you to come.” Icaea: ”And who are you, exactly?” The man thumps his chest with an armored gauntlet, speaking in a proud tone: ”Henrich Tynsagma, Commander of the Imperial Guard! ...former, that is.” Agernásson: ”Former commander, former emperor or former guard?” Tynsagma: ”All three.” Agernásson: ”''Which'' emperor?” Tynsagma: ”Empress Mariana III of Ufurca.” Agernásson: ”Fair enough.” Trettos: ”So, what kind of work do you have in mind for us?” Tynsagma: ”Heh, you can drop the act. I know who you are.” Trettos: ”Seriously, all that planning and cover story for nothing?” Gorn: ”But what exactly are you here for?” Tynsagma: ”I am the leader of the Loyalists fighting to protect Her Highness, the young Empress Parola I, from Lord Admiral Redsash who would usurp her.” Gorn: ”Okay, that's a lot of new info.” Agernásson: ”So does this vizier, I mean Lord Admiral, have a goatee? He needs a goatee. Perhaps several.” Icaea: ”How exactly does burning down shipyards and terrorizing the city help protect the Empress?” Tynsagma: ”Tell me, what exactly do you even know about the situation?” After slight hesitation, the party decides they might as well share what little they know. Trettos: ”We were hired to guard the shipyard, but after it got burned down, we were sent to track you down with this Heartlock as our clue.” Icaea angrily throws the Heartlock at his feet: ”Yeah, mind explaining this?” Tynsagma picks up the medallion and retrieves its pair from inside his cloak. ”Ah, yes. Do you know their main purpose?” Trettos: ”Sure, they track each other and can only be opened when brought together.” Tynsagma: ”Indeed. However, they can also be used to amplify certain long-distance spells.” He clicks the medallions together and speaks the name 'Mariana'. They both open to reveal small tufts of dark hair – Icaea's – tied with thin red string. Trettos: ”But why possess Icaea here, specifically?” Tynsagma gives an awkward shrug. ”That was a choice made by the group operating in Salmo, but the mage says she just took the opportunity after one of Redsash's hirelings strayed away from the others. It wasn't my decision. And it was probably a bad one, mind you, as it ended up leading you here.” Trettos: ”What exactly does the governor know about this? Is he aware of your goals?” Tynsagma: ”He knows I am here, obviously, and that we're a group fighting against the ruler of Salmo. He supports us in hopes of earning the Emperor's favor and securing his own interests in the Emperor's Bay. He doesn't know the details, though, nor where we are currently meeting.” Agernásson: ”Tell us about this Lord Admiral, then. Why do you claim he's plotting against the Empress?” Tynsagma: ”You haven't met him?” Gorn: ”No, we've only dealt with middlemen. We haven't even heard of his involvement.” Tynsagma: ”Six years ago, when I was still Commander, he framed me for treason. I suppose I got too close to discovering his plots. I was forced to flee here, but all this time I've been working with others who knows of his treasonous nature and want to fight for the Empress, keeping track of him.” Gorn: ”'Fighting for the Empress' doesn't sound too bad. Did you know my father, a man named Le'Lyana?” Tynsagma: ”Ah... Yes, he served with me, back when I was just a rank-and-file guardsman myself. It was over twenty years ago. He was quite the... enthusiastic young soldier. Until he got his leg chopped off at the knee.” Gorn: ”Was he a good friend of yours?” Tynsagma: ”He was, uh... a good soldier.” Gorn, nodding: ”I understand completely.” Tynsagma: ”As for the shipyard, Redsash isn't building those ships for the Empress. He's building up his own forces! His plan is nearing completion. We have to do what we can to slow him down.” Icaea: ”And where exactly is your evidence for this?” Tynsagma: ”It's... in the documents from the shipyard.” Trettos: ”Not the ones we found, certainly.” Tynsagma: ”Well, it just so happens that the halfling carrying ours has disappeared mysteriously.” Trettos: ”Convenient.” Tynsagma: ”No, I can assure you, it's not.” Gorn: ”So what exactly do you suggest? We were sent here to take care of whoever was behind the attack.” Tynsagma: ”I am sorry that you simple mercenaries had to get swept into this –” Everyone: ”Who you calling simple?” Tynsagma: ”– but the least I can ask is that you return to Salmo and pretend that you did as you were told. I'm not sure how much Redsash himself knows of the details, so be careful what you say. If you're willing to go beyond that, though... I'd like you to use the Heartlock to report anything big you find out. You may not believe me now, but I'm sure that if you just follow Redsash for a bit longer you'll see that I was right.” He places a small piece of paper inside each Heartlock and throws the other to the party. ”Just rub the medallion when you want to speak.” The rest of the party seems to be alright with this arrangement, but the issue is a bit more personal for Icaea: ”I was mind-controlled and forced to fight my comrades, resulting in injuries on both sides – including this huge scar on my face – as well as plenty of mental anguish! You may not have made the decision, but you're still responsible for it. I demand some kind of reparation. That sword of yours might do.” Tynsagma considers for a moment, looking at the ornate longsword in his hand before shaking his head. Finally, he takes off his left gauntlet and tosses a golden ring to Icaea. ”The Loyalists may be somewhat short on cash, but I understand your point of view and am deeply sorry. Perhaps this enchanted item can help at least a bit. It emanates a magical shield to protect you in battle. It's not much, but I'm sure such... active young men as you will find much use for it.” Icaea still holds a grudge, but the ring is definitely pretty nice. The servant who led them in appears from behind a door and quietly takes them up the stairs, across the yard and out of the gate. The party definitely doesn't really know what to think. Though they decided not to fight Tynsagma and his ”Loyalists”, despite considering it at several points during their discussion, they're not exactly convinced by his tall tales. Of course, this Lord Admiral Redsash they apparently haven't even met doesn't seem completely trustworthy either. They suspect they're still being tailed by whoever Agernásson saw earlier, but don't see the stalker anywhere and can't really do anything about it at the moment. They decide to head back to Salmo as soon as possible. However, when they return to their ship, somehow expecting it to be all ready to go, they find their grumpy crew sitting on the deck and playing cards in the light of a lantern. They say it'll take several more weeks to completely repair the Marius, especially as they also need to carefully undo all the hurried work they did on the island. After berating their indolence, the party decides to just accept this and stay at the Golden Blanket instead. The innkeeper is glad to have customers staying over for once. They spend an uneventful couple of weeks hanging around the small city. It may be the largest colony on the Shatterstones, but it really can't compete with the mainland. Just to kill time, they even visit some of the farms outside the city, and generally make themselves familiar with the area as well as each other and the innkeeper. The repairs seem to be progressing quite well, though, the crew having found some local professionals to help. However, after about two weeks, having bought some fresh eggs for breakfast, the party visits the harbor to check out how the ship is doing. To their great shock, they see that it has disappeared! On a second look, it's currently well on its way sailing out of the harbor. Two of the sailors can be seen standing at the back of the ship and waving rude hand gestures at the party. They'd clearly gotten tired of them acting as if they owned the damn thing and even planning to sell it at one point, deciding to take their leave as soon as the ship was even mostly finished. The party is infuriated by this grand treason, but all they can do in protest is have Gorn use his telekinetic force to throw a single egg at the distant ship. They march into the nearest tavern and ask to find the ”man with the fastest boat on the island”. Everyone gives pointed looks at a confused gnome sitting in the corner. However, as the little man, terrified (and confused) by the party's creative interweaving of eggs into their threats, is glad to show them, his experimental vessel is nothing but a gnome-sized little sailboat, incapable of taking them all on board, let alone bringing them anywhere farther than the nearest island. The party sees reason in his argument and decides to give up. It seems there aren't too many people sailing to Salmo, mostly because Ufurca puts such big tolls on merchants with Cerarian wares. However, Trettos manages to find a certain Captain Churner, owner of the mighty Sea Cat, who's headed to Repesa and offers to take a quick detour in exchange for a ”nominal” fee of 300 sp each. With some help from an eldritch charm, Trettos manages to convince him that the detour will take barely any time and they can pay for it by working on the ship, especially as Icaea is actually a ”former captain, recently out of a job, experienced in the workings of a ship.” A little over two weeks later, the Sea Cat finally drops them off and Churner waves them a friendly goodbye. Agernásson immediately starts looking for the Marius, but fails to find it and decides to wait for it to arrive so he can wreak his vengeance. DM: "Hold on, I'm rolling you a Wisdom check." Agernásson: "Huh?" DM: "Okay, a 19. Your common sense reminds you that there are more than two ports in the world." Agernásson: "They can't avoid this place forever!" Icaea: "Uh, I'm pretty sure they can." The party makes its way up to the guard barracks, where they're told to go straight to the castle. The guards allow them to march right through the main hall and into the throne room. A familiar face, the vice-commander, enters shortly, but he's dressed in even more flamboyantly decorated and expensive armor than before. The guard at the door announces his arrival: ”Lord Admiral Demeter Redsash!” With a little smirk on his face, Redsash sits on the throne and waves for the guards to leave. Gorn: ”Wait, so you're the Lord Admiral after all?” Redsash: ”Yes, I am. Sorry to deceive you, but I had to keep a low profile. There's no such person as the 'vice-commander', you know. What took you so long? Did you do as I asked?” Trettos: ”Well, we ran into some trouble on the way, but we tracked down the medallion's owner in Princebank and took care of him.” Icaea: ”We took care of those pesky Loyalists! How dare they oppose our righteous struggle against the Empress' tyranny, am I right, eh, eh?” Trettos: ”They were part of some radical rebel group fighting against Ufurca. Apparently not affiliated with any foreign nation, though.” Redsash: ”Awfully vague, but... you did well, I suppose. Too bad there was another attack in the meanwhile. Probably the same group, as another shipyard was burned and had its floodgates opened, ruining another batch of ships. This means I still have more work for you, of course, so you probably won't mind. I'm quite generous towards those who serve me, after all.” As if on cue, a bearded old man enters the room, followed by a pale youngster carrying a tall pile of papers. Redsash introduces the man as Cladius, his court wizard, and takes the opportunity to drink from his flask while the wizard starts talking. Cladius: ”I've been looking into certain concerning rumors for a while now. It seems these rebels are looking for an item of power hidden in the Shatterstones, surely hoping to use it against the people of Salmo and Ufurca. This, obviously, cannot come to pass.” Icaea: ”Seriously, we're going to the Shatterstones again?” Agernásson: ”What exactly is this item of power?” Cladius: ”Some sort of ancient artifact.” Trettos: ”What does it do?” Cladius: ”We have no idea.” Gorn: ”Gee, how useful.” Cladius: ”The only thing we know for sure is that, like all such artifacts, its latent power poses a great risk and can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. That's why I've been hard at work, using all the magic at my disposal to try and pinpoint its location.” He takes the map lying on top of the pile of paper, covered in random notes, glyphs and other scribbles. A spot in the sea has been clearly marked. ”There's no island shown on the map, but I'm sure the artifact is hidden there – at the bottom of the sea, if nothing else. That's what you're going to find out.” Redsash: ”As you must understand, this is a matter of great importance. That's why I can't really keep it under wraps as I have until now. It's still not public, of course, but as you're headed to an uncharted location, I can't make you rely on private transportation. As such, I'm allowing you to sail there on a vessel from the Salmese navy.” Icaea, probably dreaming of captainhood again: ”About time!” Redsash: ”You'll be leaving in a few days. Prepare well. This matter has to be handled as quickly as possible.” After leaving the castle and reaching a safe location, the party decides to give Tynsagma a call: ”So, what do you know about this artifact?” Tynsagma: ”Well, we are indeed looking for it, I'll give you that. You can't let Redsash have it, obviously.” Icaea: ”So, what is this artifact?” Tynsagma: ”No idea.” Everyone: *sigh* Trettos: ”How do these vague 'rumors' even spread, anyway?” Tynsagma: ”That's just how major artifacts like this work. They can't stay hidden forever. Even if no one remembers them, sooner or later someone will stumble upon a clue or even just get a sudden hunch. That doesn't make them any less critical to secure when you can, of course. I expect you to do the right thing, if you do find anything.” In the back a different, somewhat worrisome discussion is clearly audible for Tynsagma to hear: Gorn: ”How much did Redsash pay us again?” Agernásson: ”500 gp each.” Icaea: ”Five grand silver!? I know who I'm backing!” Nevertheless, it doesn't take long for the party to start thinking it might be better to trust neither side and keep such a powerful item for themselves instead... Category:Lorelm Category:Kampanjat Category:Content Category:English